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To Sam3 October 2013

Starting Sixth Form

Hi Sam

I have just started Sixth Form a couple of weeks ago at a new school but I'm struggling to fit in :(

There are some girls who has bullied me today like slapping me and calling me names... I'm just worried that the teachers won't do anything about it because we are meant to be young adults now... I am 16 by the way :(

Is there any advice that I could have in settling to sixth form at all?

Sam3 October 2013

Hi,

Thank you for sharing with me how you've been feeling. Starting something new can be unsettling and it sounds like your move to sixth form has left you feeling unsure about yourself. When you find yourself in a new group of people, its normal to worry about not fitting in. Its likely that there are other people that have just started at your sixth form college who are feeling just like you do.

Youve told me that some girls have been slapping you and calling you names. That kind of behaviour is completely unacceptable, no matter what age you are. The teachers at your sixth form should take this very seriously. Unfortunately bullying can happen to people of all ages, including adults. Its not something you should feel you have to sort out by yourself. I'm wondering how you would feel about talking to one of the teachers about what happened. The teachers can help make sure this does not happen again.

Bullying of any sort is bound to knock your confidence. So getting some support with that feels like an important way to start settling into your new sixth form. Building up relationships with new people often takes some time, especially if youre not feeing sure of yourself. You havent said much about whether youd made some good friends at your old school? If you had, can you think about what it was like when you first met them, and how you built those friendships?

Perhaps you could start by picking one or two people at sixth form that you feel you might have more in common with and would like to get to know better. Asking someone about their life and what they enjoy to do shows that you're interested in them. You may also like to talk to the pastoral worker at sixth form or a school counsellor so they can help you too.

You might find it useful to share how you feel on our message boards as lots of other young people have gone through a very similar experience to you. You can also talk things through with a ChildLine counsellor, even if its just to get things off your chest.

You can call for free on 0800 1111 - or you can log on for a 1-2-1 chat or email a counsellor.

Take care and good luck

Sam

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